Showing results by narrator "Linda Stephens" in All Categories

An award-winning author of more than 80 CBA best-selling novels, Tracie Peterson is highly acclaimed for authentic historical romances that enthrall and inspire. In Twilight’s Serenade, Britta Lindquist finds herself caring for the motherless children of the man she has tried to forget. But just as love’s second chance begins to blossom, an English conductor asks Britta to become the first-chair violinist in his orchestra—and accept his hand in marriage.

RITA Award winner Jodi Thomas continues her Whispering Mountain series with this second installment. Horse breeder Tobin McMurray doesn’t venture too far from his homestead. But when a Texas senator offers Tobin handsome compensation to deliver a horse to his daughter and teach her how to ride, he grudgingly agrees. Soon Tobin finds himself falling in love with the beautiful woman—but their budding romance is headed straight for danger.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Jodi Thomas won the coveted Romance Pioneer Award and a 2011 Reviewers’ Choice Award for Texas Blue. Lewton Paterson is a gambling man hoping to put his rough-and-tumble past behind him and marry into a quiet, respectable family. Arriving in Whispering Mountain, Lewt sets his sights on one of the McMurray sisters. But it doesn’t take long for Lewt to realize that gambling on love is his riskiest proposition yet.

In Dawn’s Prelude, CBA best-selling author Tracie Peterson whisks listeners away to 1870s Alaska, for a breathtaking tale of intrigue, romance, and faith. When 28-year-old Lydia Gray inherits her late husband’s fortune, she tries to escape unscrupulous family members by seeking refuge with an aunt in Sitka. But as Lydia savors the serenity of her new life—and the unselfish kindness of sawmill owner Kjell Lindquist—an unexpected twist forces her to rethink her future.

Isabel Leon, the Marquesa, is an actress who has appeared in performances across the country, yet now she finds herself living in the small western town of Cantrell, Montana. With the town booming, the Marquesa decides it needs a grand hotel. It will take the help, and the heart, of a handsome stranger to make her dream a reality. As their relationship grows, the Marquesa finds her faith getting stronger, too.

Listeners flock to USA Today and New York Times best-selling author Jodi Thomas’ Texas romances. Here a rugged cowboy finds his hard heart softened by a desperate woman on the run. Happy to keep his head down and tend to his ranch, Teagen McMurray is certainly not looking for love. But then Jessie Barton—wife of Teagen’s bookseller friend Eli—and her three young daughters arrive on the scene seeking shelter.

Best-selling author Nevada Barr delights contemporary mystery fans with novels like Deep South and Blood Lure. In Bittersweet, she departs the mystery genre for a touching story of hardship, perseverance, and love in the old West.

A master violinist trained in Vienna, Rebekah Carrington manages to wheedle her way into an audition with the maestro at the newly formed Nashville Philharmonic. But women are "far too fragile and frail" for the rigors of an orchestra, and Rebekah's hopes are swiftly dashed. Because the conductor - determined to leave his mark on the world of classical music - bows to public opinion.

As a family clinic administrator, Michele Layton has seen her share of suffering. But never anything like this. Not here in St. Cloud, Minnesota. A local activist has been found murdered, his body frozen like a statue and placed in a Winter Carnival ice sculpture display. Next a vicious hate crime puts a man in the ICU. And locked away in the Holy Rest mental ward, a deranged man of the cloth prays for more sinners to be punished - and waits for a sign from above.

On a midnight train, four hours away from her wedding, Beth McMurray discovers the devastating truth about the powerful senator she's about to marry. Convinced nothing could make this stormy night worse, the train wrecks, and she tumbles straight into the arms of an outlaw. Andrew McLaughlin doesn't believe in loving except between the pages of his writings. He loved deeply once and thinks he'll never survive another loss. To save a friend, he climbs aboard a train heading toward Dallas.

Oliole Fontenot has moved to Cantrell from New York City to set up her own photography studio. When she is commissioned to do a series on women in the West, she realizes that this is the chance she needs to establish her reputation as an artist. But a handsome rancher begins to capture her heart, and she must reevaluate what she wants. Is God being too bountiful with his blessings?

Five women from different walks of life have become close friends through their book club - enjoying one another's company even more than they enjoy the books. So when the leader of the book club unexpectedly passes away on the cusp of the Christmas season, the four remaining friends are stunned. They relied on Abby for inspiration and motivation. She was the glue that held them together, and they're sure that without her the group can't continue.

Award-winning author Gwyn Hyman Rubio conquered best-seller lists across the country with her brilliant debut novel, Icy Sparks - an Oprah’s Book Club® selection and New York Times Notable Book of the Year. The Woodsman’s Daughter is set in 19th-century rural Georgia. Dauntless teenage beauty Dahlia is plagued by her hard-drinking father and his terrible secrets. Determined to make a better life for herself, Dahlia strikes out to raise her own family. But her life is haunted by tragedy, and she is never out of reach of fate’s cruel hand.

This national best seller is a breakthrough book for Lee Smith, an author who fills her marvelous novels with humor, pathos, and powerful wisdom. The Last Girls are a group of coeds, inspired by Huck Finn, who traveled the Mississippi on a raft in 1965. Now four of them have reunited on a luxurious steamboat to cruise the river again. As they look back over the past 30 years, each one contemplates their shared past in light of their present lives.

NPR's popular new podcast features spirited round-table discussions covering a wild and unpredictable landscape of pop culture subject matter, from the 50th anniversary of Gilligan's Island to "pop culture carbon dating" (why some things age well and others not at all) to the "what's making us happy" segment of the show, which always leaves listeners with a smile.

With half a dozen heartfelt and inspiring novels to her credit, including The Blue Bottle Club, Penelope J. Stokes has become an important voice in Christian fiction. The Amber Photograph tells the compelling story of a young woman’s search for the spiritual strength to discover the truth about who she really is.

Jana McGuire is devastated when she returns from an African mission trip only to find her pastor husband has taken all their money and left with his secretary. Left with no worldly possessions, Jana is forced to seek help from her distant mother and her bubbly, welcoming great-aunt Taffy. Jana soon realizes that her mother's cold demeanor hides a tragic past - and that the two must mend their relationships with God and each other.

Author Susan Wittig Albert turns up the suspense in her 18th China Bayles mystery. Just as the holiday season begins, so does the drama, when China's husband’s ex-wife, Sally, appears, begging for help and a place to stay. ’Tis the season of giving, so China opens her home to Sally. But when troubling phone calls start, China knows she’ll need to dig up the truth before Christmas turns deadly.

Critically acclaimed author Gish Jen is a National Book Critics Circle Award nominee and the person John Updike proclaimed as the young novelist most likely to become his successor. In The Love Wife, Jen poignantly explores the explosive dynamics of a mixed-race modern family.

Sister John has devoted her life to serving God. For almost 30 years she has lived in a Carmelite monastery near Los Angeles. There, she experiences religious visions of such intensity that she is revered by the other nuns. But these visions also bring on excruciating headaches. When she is offered an operation that may stop the pain, she realizes that it may also stop the visions.